A feature in VideoGames, where the game automatically saves data without the player's input, usually with a small notification. The game will save at certain points, such as when the player enters a new location or wins a certain battle. An Auto-Save will always overwrite the previous file in the system. The option to save manually may also be present.

Although autosaving is usually meant to be just a convenience for the player, developers sometimes use it to prevent SaveScumming, which some [[NoFairCheating feel is a form of cheating]]. The feature is relatively uncommon in certain types of genres, such as {{Eastern RPG}}s, {{platform game}}s and {{action game}}s.

One downside to auto-saving is that the player might turn off their system or close the game in the middle of a save without knowing it (usually due to the "Now Saving..." indicator being easy to miss), potentially [[GameBreakingBug corrupting their save file]] in the process. However, many modern games with auto-save are on systems with {{User Operation Prohibit Flag}}s, one of the few kinds of cases where such flags are seen as a ''[[AntiFrustrationFeatures good]]'' thing.

Compare and contrast SavePoint and SaveGameLimits.

----!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Action]]* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' has this show up as a little green memory card at the beginning of the levels, so that if you die, you don't have to start from the last level.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Action-Adventure Games]]* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' both autosave when entering or exiting a building. * Every one of the ''VideoGame/{{Lego Adaptation Game}}s'' does this. * ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'' saves when you complete a mission or [=ScareScraper=] game, unlike the original title and its manual save points.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Audio Games]]* ''AudioGame/TheGate'' has these scattered throughout its various levels. When a player encounters them, the game simply says, "Checkpoint."[[/folder]]

[[folder:EasternRPG]]* The ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' games and ''{{VideoGame/Bloodborne}}'' autosave almost constantly. While this is nice in that if the game gets unexpectedly shut off or crashes you'll only lose a couple of minutes of progress at most, it also means that everything that happens in the game will stick, whether it be killing a boss or an important friendly NPC. You cannot force a do-over by reloading an old save file: the consequences of your actions are permanent.* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'' only has autosave when calculating the odds of an alchemiracle, to prevent SaveScumming until you get the ultimate weapon/armor. * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' autosaves before every battle. If you die, you get the choice of Retry or Quit. Retry returns you to just before the battle, allowing you to fiddle with your strategy or just run away. Quit returns you to your last manual save. * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'' autosaves before key events like bosses. * ''VideoGame/AKnightsQuestForMilk'' autosaves every time you get a new objective or clear an old one.* In ''VideoGame/TheLastStory'', the game's autosave is referred to as a "Checkpoint Save", and it's made any time you're about to go into a battle. The game notes that it only keeps ''one'' Checkpoint Save at a time, though you can have as many save files (using the traditional SavePoint) as you want. * In ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'', getting a new chip from the chip trader machine will cause the game to auto-save. This is to prevent SaveScumming for the desired chip. * The various ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games do this... but only after you beat the Elite Four and champion (and Red in the second gen games)* ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' has an auto-save slot which is automatically updated each time you go through a loading screen. It's convenient given the large amount of {{game breaking bug}}s, but if you happen to be doing a quest which takes place on a single large map and the game crashes you're out of luck unless you saved manually.[[/folder]]

[[folder:First-Person Shooter]]* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' use autosave both when a player changes areas and when they enter the proximity of a New-U station. * Most ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' games save between levels, and some save at checkpoints. * All games in the ''[[VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon FEAR]]'' series autosave after reaching a certain place and sometimes before or after a especially hard fight. The first game also has an option to save manually. * Both ''VideoGame/{{Goldeneye 1997}}'' and ''VideoGame/GoldeneyeWii'' use auto save. * ''VideoGame/{{FarCry}}'' used auto-save checkpoints. It was also possible to enable an option to make manual saves.* Done in ''VideoGame/QuakeII''. The game auto-saves into the first save slot whenever the player enters a new area, without notifying the player, but also allows the player to save in a different save slot manually whenever the player wishes. * Valve games such as ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' and ''Videogame/{{Portal}}'' autosave in certain places or intervals. If you want to to back before an autosave, you can always load the previous save file.* Many ''{{VideoGame/Doom}}'' source ports, such as [[http://www.zdoom.org ZDoom]], autosave whenever the player enters a new level, whilst also having the option of manual saves. In [=ZDoom=] at least, this differs from the Quake II example above, in that [=ZDoom=] has four autosave slots (new saves overwrite the oldest one) which are separate from the standard save slots.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Platform Games]]* The ''VideoGame/{{Jumper}}'' games automatically save progress at a moment that varies between games. Then again, being able to undo death-count wouldn't be rather fair. * ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' games always save like this. The sole exception is "The Great Cave Offensive" game in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'', which has a {{Metroidvania}}-like design including {{Save Point}}s. * ''VideoGame/{{Purple}}'' saves progress automatically when you beat a boss, but level high-scores and item collections are saved instantly when you complete a level. * The ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' games save in between levels. * ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon'' autosaves whenever you're entering a level or the hub.* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':** ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' automatically saves when you beat a level or boss (in pretty much every game in the series).** ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' saves after every level. As does its DS sequel.** Where previous 3D ''Mario'' games left it to you to save, or gave you the option after finding a PlotCoupon, ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' just does it for you. You can also save at any time on the {{Faceship}}.* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' saves even if you leave a level, which is helpful if you just want to look for Diddy in the level, but KONG letter and puzzle pieces are programmed to only be counted when you reach the exit.* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy'' has autosaving as one of its several AntiFrustrationFeatures. It is enabled by default, with three other spare save slots for manual saves, but autosaving can also be deactivated at will for players who prefer to save completely manually.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puzzle Games]]* ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' and all its sequels automatically save your progress every time you complete a level. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Racing Games]]* The ''VideoGame/{{Forza}}'' series has always featured only auto saves without allowing manual saves, and has always done so in a sensible manner. The fourth installment of the ''Motorsport'' series, however, took the amount of auto saving that occurs to new extremes. Apparently in order to prevent any form of cheating (because all the cars and upgrades you unlock in the career mode can be used in competitive online modes as well), the game saves after practically anything you do -- even if you didn't actually do anything at all! Enter any in-game menu like a car dealer or a tuning shop, exit again right away, and another auto save is being made. What's really annoying, though, is that you can't do anything while the game saves. You're forced to wait the two seconds it takes for the auto save to be written to the Xbox's storage media before the game reacts to your input again, and having to wait two seconds every single time you do anything at all quickly exhausts one's patience.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Rhythm Games]]* ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' games save if there is any important changes. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Simulation Game]]* ''Publisher Dream'', a downloadable game for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, autosaves at the end of every work week. * The later games in the ''VideoGame/{{X}}-Universe'' series autosave when you dock at a space station. ''Videogame/XRebirth'' shipped without an autosave, making the plethora of {{Game Breaking Bug}}s [[ObviousBeta at release]] that much more painful; the game now saves periodically and at every station.* ''VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram'' always autosaves whenever you exit to the main menu, and periodically does so in flight as well. [[/folder]]

[[folder: Survival Horror]]* ''[[Franchise/FatalFrame Fatal Frame V: Maiden of the Black Water]]'' has autosave occur at various checkpoints during chapters and once after a chapter is successfully completed. There is no manual save option.* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2'' has one autosave file and no manual saves.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stealth-Based Games]]* ''VideoGame/CastleWolfenstein''. In the original 1981 version the game saved your situation every time you entered a room or died. If you died you could prevent this by opening the disk drive's door, then re-booting. The game would start up again right where you entered the room. * The ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed'' series autosaves whenever you change cities, finish a combat, collect a collectible, or otherwise make any progress worth saving.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Third-Person Shooter]]* ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'' will autosave frequently during menus, particularly after accessing screens where you perform actions that alter your save file (e.g. buying weapons, doing Idol Toss, etc.). The game also automatically saves when you use the "Close Software" fucntion in the 3DS menu.[[/folder]]

[[folder:TowerDefense]]* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'' saves your progress every time you complete an action - be it completing a level, buying something from the store, or watering your garden. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Turn-Based Strategy]]* The GBA ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' titles all have a continuous autosave. * ''VideoGame/VictoriaAnEmpireUnderTheSun'' autosaves periodically, at intervals that can be set by the player (e.g. every 3 months in game time, 6 months, etc.). The player can also save manually at any point in the game.* ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns'' was criticized for only having autosaves (which were done whenever a new area loaded), as the engine didn't support manual saves until the release of ''Dragonfall''.* ''VideoGame/XcomEnemyUnknown'' has this as an option where it saves after a certain number of days and after every mission, but the hardest difficulty [[UpToEleven ramps this up]] - it will save after every decision made and every turn to prevent save scumming. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Western RPG]]* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' has autosaving, generally when moving between room sets and whenever significant conversations occur. * ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' and ''VideoGame/DiabloIII''. The second game seems to autosave after some time has passed, as well as when leaving the game. The third game autosaves when entering a certain place. * ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has the game autosave at certain predefined locations (often [[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity immediately before a battle]]) while ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' pretty much saves automatically each time the player enters a new area. Both have up to four autosave slots. * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': ** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' brings it into the series, autosaving every time you rest. It can also be turned off in the settings menu.** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' expands it to automatically save your progress each time you enter a new location, with a small "Autosaving" notification on the upper left of the screen. ** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' expands it even further, with semi-regular autosaves when you open the menu with a 15 minute cooldown. In the PC version, you can change the length of time after autosaves will trigger.* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' has autosaves roughly at the beginnings, midpoints, and ends of missions. However, ''Mass Effect'''s missions are ''long''. You can easily lose an hour or more of progress if you die without using manual saves. ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' greatly increase the frequency of autosaves, making this less of a problem.* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' makes use of this to [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou screw with the player's head]]. While not telling the player that it's happening, the game automatically saves after the player makes moral choices, most notably sparing or killing the bosses. For instance, if the player kills the first boss, reloads the game and spares the boss, [[EldritchAbomination Flowey the Flower]] will call the player out on it.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wide Open Sandbox]]* ''Videogame/DragonsDogma'' has autosaving, though it doesn't seem to pop up often enough to be effective, especially considering the singular save file. * ''Videogame/GrandTheftAutoIV'', aside from the manual saving that is allowed at {{Save Point}}s, autosaves after completing missions. The manual saving at {{Save Point}}s allows several savegames, the autosave uses only one file that is replaced each time. * ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' and ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' also have autosave. * ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' uses a single save state that overwrites itself persistently and upon quitting.[[/folder]]----